"Haha~ Why are you acting like this? I’m just here to make sure you’re all taken care of and safe!"  
*I came here to rescue you. I’ll protect you in a safe place.*

I spoke kindly.

"Rest assured. It won’t hurt."  
*Nothing will actually hurt.*

I smiled gently and gestured for them to come closer. But despite my kindness, the foxes showed no sign of approaching. Were they too frightened?

*Clang…*

Irene, trembling, dropped the rusty sword she was holding. It seemed she was fighting against her fear, but eventually, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

"S-sister…"  
"Sniff… Sister Irene…"

The young foxes, all of them elementary school age at most, began to cry, their faces filled with tears. Huddling behind Irene’s back, they shivered in fear, clearly terrified by the situation.

"Oh dear, have I frightened you too much?"

I tilted my head slightly as if I didn’t understand their reaction at all.

*Though… of course, I knew why.*

As I said before, everything happening in this space was under my control. From the beginning to the end, everything was according to my design. This entire situation was part of my carefully crafted script.

In other words, everything was staged. I had appeared like a villain, blocking their escape at the last minute, purposefully releasing a bit of killing intent to heighten their tension. With meaningful lines, I had deliberately amplified their anxiety.

*It’s only natural that they’re shaking in fear.*

The foxes were likely seeing me as a hunter—a worst-case scenario hunter who, with a single gesture, could slaughter everyone present.

"Heh."

I chuckled to myself. It had been a while since I’d caused this kind of mischief, and the fun was twice as intense because of it. My smile, already sly, grew even more twisted. I truly looked like a villain with narrow eyes and a sinister grin.

"…"

Irene knelt on the ground, staring at me. Her transparent eyes trembled wildly. Perhaps my performance had been too perfect. It looked like she had completely fallen for it.

*I really feel like a villain now.*

That thought crossed my mind, but I pushed it aside. I knew how kind and considerate I actually was. After all, there was a hidden reason behind this whole performance.

*Ding!*  
[Current Power Remaining: 21.5%]

I had used too much of my *Lies*. I didn’t have enough power left to ensure a safe return. If I were alone, I could have made it back without issue, but unfortunately, I had the foxes to take care of as well, which made things more difficult.

In short, I needed to recharge my *Lies*. And to do that, I decided to use them.

"Mercy is a luxury for runaway slaves, don’t you think?"

Yuda’s unique ability, *Lies*, grows stronger the more perfect the lie and the greater the emotional response from those who hear it. I fed off the emotions of others.

Fear of death, in particular, is one of the strongest emotions that binds living creatures. Just moments ago, the foxes had been celebrating their escape, full of hope. Now, they were faced with the looming threat of death. The drastic shift in their emotions was…

*Ding!*  
[The target’s emotions are fluctuating wildly.]  
(Hope -> Despair)  
[A large amount of *Lies* has been recharged due to the significant emotional change.]  
[Current Power Remaining: 47.4%]

My power was replenishing rapidly. With just a few words, I had recovered a significant portion of it. Normally, it would take a full day of constant lying to recover this much.

*… This method is much more efficient.*

I felt a little guilty for making the kids cry, but I silently apologized to them. After all, this was part of the process to save them. I trusted they would understand.

"Pathetic."

I muttered coldly, my smile gone.

*Clap.*

I clapped my hands once. Immediately, the lights illuminating the corridor all went out at once, plunging the area into complete darkness.

The only thing left in this world was thick, stifling darkness. I gathered the swirling fog around me as I spoke.

"Trash that doesn’t know its place… will be dealt with here."

I released a bit more of my suppressed killing intent. The tension in the air, cold as ice, settled like frost, pressing down on the surrounding darkness. The children finally broke down into sobs.

*Ding!*  
[The target’s emotions are fluctuating wildly.]  
(Hope -> Despair)  
[A large amount of *Lies* has been recharged due to the significant emotional change.]  
[Current Power Remaining: 54.9%]

My *Lies* were being replenished steadily. At this rate, it would take about five more minutes. As I calculated the remaining time, my eyes landed on the girl with reddish-orange hair.

"…"

Irene sat frozen, seemingly in a daze. Had the extreme fear made her lose her senses? Even with the noise of the other children panicking around her, she simply sat there, head bowed.

*Has she given up?*

If so, it was disappointing. The Irene I remembered from the original story wouldn’t break this easily. Maybe it was because she hadn’t awakened yet.

The fierce swordswoman I had been looking forward to meeting wasn’t there. 

*How boring.*

I had expected to get more entertainment out of this, but it seemed she was too weak in her current state.

"Hmm."

Well, I supposed I would let it go for now. I had come this far, so I still needed to help her. Since the world seemed to be following the original story, Irene’s awakening would happen eventually.

"She’s not what I hoped for today, but I’ll be satisfied for now…"

"Kids."

Just as I was about to give up, a soft voice reached my ears.

"Listen carefully to what I’m about to say."

Her voice trembled, but the message that followed was anything but weak.

"Don’t look back. Run."

*Schwing.*

Irene picked up the rusty sword she had dropped. Her shoulders trembled as if they were about to collapse. But despite the despair she felt, she used the sword to help lift herself back to her feet.

"I’ll hold them off here."

Her jet-black eyes gleamed with fierce determination. She fixed her gaze on me, a sharp and venomous glint in her eyes.

"Oh?"

A small exclamation of surprise escaped me. My dwindling interest suddenly reignited, and I smiled widely.

*This is more like it.*

I almost gave up on her too soon. That electric thrill running through my fingertips told me that this was going to be fun.

"Hahaha! What an arrogant delusion!" I shouted gleefully.

"Run!" Irene yelled at the children.

The little foxes dashed away at her command. I briefly glanced in their direction but quickly turned my focus back to Irene.

The future Sword Saint, Irene, her reddish-orange hair fluttering in the darkness, charged straight at me. My playful attitude vanished as I flicked my fingers in the shadowy fog.

"Shall we have a little fun?"

*Snap!*

The world flipped upside down.

---

A long tunnel stretched out before us, shrouded in darkness. All the lights that once illuminated the space had been extinguished, leaving nothing but ancient blackness dripping down from the void. The atmosphere was chilling.

*Scree-eeeech!*

A sharp noise sliced through the silence. In the pitch-black tunnel, only two figures moved in rapid succession.

"Haa… haa…!"

Heavy breaths echoed through the air as Irene swung her sword with all her might.

*Clang!*

Her blade collided with a strong force. The blond boy stood there, blocking her attack with his bare hand.

"Is this all you’ve got?"

A playful smile adorned his face, the complete opposite of the exhausted girl before him. He looked like he was toying with the entire situation.

*Damn it…*

Was he really human? How could anyone block a full-force sword strike with just two fingers?

*Are his fingers made of steel or something?*

Irene cursed under her breath and repositioned herself. Then she launched herself forward again.

*Clang! Clang! Craaaack! BOOM!*

The sound of steel clashing filled the air. Sparks flew each time her sword met his fingers, momentarily illuminating the darkness.

"Urgh…!"

"You should try harder. You’re starting to lose ground."

"S-shut up…!"

Irene shouted, gritting her teeth. She pushed her sword forward, then swiftly followed up with a horizontal slash.

*Whoosh!*

Her blade sliced through the air, aiming for an opening. Irene was confident this strike would land. The angle, the distance, the timing—it was all perfect. There was no way to block it.

*Got you…!*

But…

"Oops."

*Claaang!*

Once again, he blocked it effortlessly. Using only his index and middle fingers, the boy knocked Irene’s blade aside.

"…Hah."

Was there really a monster like this? Irene couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. But there was no time to dwell on her frustration—his fist was already flying toward her.

Irene quickly raised her sword to block.

*BOOM!*

His punch slammed into the blade, sending a heavy shockwave through her body.

"Ugh…!"

Even though she managed to block, the force sent her flying backward. Her hands shook uncontrollably

 as her legs nearly gave out. She barely managed to stay upright as the boy approached.

*Click. Click.*

The sound of his footsteps echoed loudly in the silence. Irene bit her lip, trying to hold back her fear.

"Already exhausted? I’m just starting to get excited."

*Tap.*

With a light step, the boy suddenly appeared right in front of her as if he had teleported.

"Ta-da."

"You… damn snake…!"

It was too late to react. His fist was already in her abdomen.

*THWACK!*

The powerful blow sent her flying again. She tumbled across the ground, gasping in pain.

"Ugh… huff, huff…"

Her vision blurred as she struggled to stay conscious. Irene fought to focus, but the boy just looked at her, pretending to be surprised.

"Oh? Did that hurt? I thought I was holding back…"

"…"

Irene silently bowed her head. She could no longer move. Even one hit had left her insides feeling like they were torn apart.

*Is this where I die?*

Irene knew death was near. In hindsight, maybe it would’ve been better to just get sold as a slave.

*How pathetic.*

It felt like her entire life had been a waste. No matter how hard she trained with her sword, it was meaningless if she couldn’t even keep up. She felt defeated and crushed under the weight of her failures.

It hurt. She was scared. She was sad. She felt lonely. But more than any of those emotions, what filled her mind was…

*I hope they managed to escape.*

That was her only thought. She had bought them time. It was her only solace.

Irene smiled faintly.

She didn’t want to die. Death was terrifying. But more terrifying than that was the thought of becoming pathetic.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

"I guess this is far enough. I wouldn’t want to hurt one of the main characters."

"…"

The golden-haired boy—the snake, or rather the monster—stood there, staring down at her with a concerned expression.

Irene wanted to wipe that smug look off his face.

If the children still needed more time to escape this hellish slave auction, then she would have to fight. She would fight to hold him off, even if it meant burning up every last breath she had.

"Hey… you snake bastard."

Irene stood up, her body shaking as if it were about to break. She gripped her sword and muttered through clenched teeth.

"Let’s finish this."

In that moment, a faint light flickered along the edge of her rusted blade. It was a dim glow, barely noticeable in the darkness, but the boy didn’t miss it.

He murmured to himself in surprise.

"…Could that be?"

A question, then a moment of realization. It was followed by a smile of pure excitement.

"Interesting."

His narrow eyes curved into a mischievous grin.

The tiny spark of talent was undeniable.

"I wasn’t planning on going this far… but I guess I’ll enjoy this a little longer."

Feeling the thrill of anticipation, the boy unleashed his *Lies* once more.